Schachter-Singer Theory

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Schachter-Singer Theory"

Claribel Lucas
6 years ago
Views:

Singer, as well as its relation to Theory of Knowledge.

1 Schachter-Singer Theory The two-factor theory of emotion, as deliberated by Stanley Schachter and Jerome E. Singer, as well as its relation to Theory of Knowledge. Stanley Schachter Jerome E. Singer Trevor Kosloski (West), Sam Jenkins (East), Nate Arney (East), Adam Mualem (North), Joey Fleming (North), Graci Goldstein (North)

2 Stimulus (e.g., a car speeding towards youthe most common example.)

3 Stimulus (e.g., a car speeding towards youthe most common example.)

4 Arousal (in this example, your heart may start racing, you may scream, your palms may become sweaty.) Stimulus (e.g., a car speeding towards youthe most common example.)

5 Arousal (in this example, your heart may start racing, you may scream, your palms may become sweaty.) Stimulus (e.g., a car speeding towards youthe most common example.) Cognitive label (in this example, you would, perhaps, see the headlights rushing towards you, and interpret your arousal as a response to a fear for your life.)

6 Arousal (in this example, your heart may start racing, you may scream, your palms may become sweaty.) Stimulus (e.g., a car speeding towards youthe most common example.) Cognitive label (in this example, you would, perhaps, see the headlights rushing towards you, and interpret your arousal as a response to a fear for your life.)

7 Stimulus (e.g., a car speeding towards youthe most common example.) Arousal (in this example, your heart may start racing, you may scream, your palms may become sweaty.) Cognitive label (in this example, you would, perhaps, see the headlights rushing towards you, and interpret your arousal as a response to a fear for your life.) Emotion (the emotion would be then labeled as fear, based on your interpretation of your environment and your physiological response.)

9 Schachter and Singer held that emotion is a response to stimulus, broken up into two factors, which occur in a chronological order.

11 The first factor which occurs in the response to a stimulus is physiological arousal. As seen in the diagram, physiological arousal would entail a bodily response to your stimulus.

13 The factor which occurs third in the process of creating an emotion is the conscious or subconscious search of one s environment for cues to interpret the physiological responsewhich, according to Schachter and Singer, can cause errors, or misinterpretations, when labeling an emotion.

15 Schachter and Singer founded this theory upon a series of experiments which tested the response of participants to stimulus, and the intertwinement of physiological arousal, cognitive labeling, and identification of an emotion.

16 Schachter and Singer founded this theory upon a series of experiments which tested the response of participants to stimulus, and the intertwinement of physiological arousal, cognitive labeling, and identification of an emotion. Essentially, the two told participants that they would be injected with Suproxin, - a drug which would supposedly test their eyesight. In actuality, participants were injected with the drug epinephrine, which causes an increased heart rate and blood pressure.

17 Schachter and Singer founded this theory upon a series of experiments which tested the response of participants to stimulus, and the intertwinement of physiological arousal, cognitive labeling, and identification of an emotion. Essentially, the two told participants that they would be injected with Suproxin, - a drug which would supposedly test their eyesight. In actuality, participants were injected with the drug epinephrine, which causes an increased heart rate and blood pressure. Once injected, the participants were isolated in a room where an accomplice interacted with them. The accomplice was instructed to act either euphoric, or extremely angry in their interactions.

18 Participants

19 Participants

20 Participants Epinephrine Informed (injected with epinephrine, told the correct side effects.)

21 Participants Epinephrine Informed (injected with epinephrine, told the correct side effects.)

22 Participants Epinephrine Informed (injected with epinephrine, told the correct side effects.) Epinephrine Ignorant (injected with epinephrine, given no side effects to expect.)

23 Participants Epinephrine Informed (injected with epinephrine, told the correct side effects.) Epinephrine Ignorant (injected with epinephrine, given no side effects to expect.)

24 Participants Epinephrine Informed (injected with epinephrine, told the correct side effects.) Epinephrine Ignorant (injected with epinephrine, given no side effects to expect.) Epinephrine Misinformed (injected with epinephrine, told completely false side effects.)

25 Epinephrine Informed

26 Epinephrine Informed The epinephrine informed group, when told of the side effects they would experience, were less dependent upon environmental cues (cognitive labels) to identify their physiological response and correlating emotion.

27 Epinephrine Informed The epinephrine informed group, when told of the side effects they would experience, were less dependent upon environmental cues (cognitive labels) to identify their physiological response and correlating emotion. As such, they were affected by and reflected the emotions of the accomplice to a lesser extent than the other participants.

28 Epinephrine Ignorant

29 Epinephrine Ignorant The epinephrine ignorant group was not told of any side effects to experience, and therefore were more dependent upon cognitive cues to label the cause of their physiological arousal.

30 Epinephrine Ignorant The epinephrine ignorant group was not told of any side effects to experience, and therefore were more dependent upon cognitive cues to label the cause of their physiological arousal. These participants were found to reflect the anger of the accomplice most strongly, and reflected the euphoria of the accomplice with a strength second only to the epinephrine misinformed group.

31 Epinephrine Misinformed

32 Epinephrine Misinformed The epinephrine misinformed group was interesting in that they were not only unaware of the side effects they would experience- they were told completely false side effects to expect. They were informed that their feet would go numb, they would have a mild headache, and experience an itching sensation.

33 Epinephrine Misinformed The epinephrine misinformed group was interesting in that they were not only unaware of the side effects they would experience- they were told completely false side effects to expect. They were informed that their feet would go numb, they would have a mild headache, and experience an itching sensation. The misinformed participants were found to strongly reflect the euphoria of the accomplice- exhibiting a dependency upon cues in their environment.

35 In essence, the experiment identifies the possible misinterpretation of one s physiological arousal based upon cognitive labeling.

36 In essence, the experiment identifies the possible misinterpretation of one s physiological arousal based upon cognitive labeling. Schachter and Singer hold, with this theory, that this is the flaw in emotion- it is founded upon perception.

38 Numerous replications of the initial experiment have been conductedthe majority of which have proven wholly fruitless, showing that the results garnered from the initial experiment may have been within the margin of pure coincidence.

39 Numerous replications of the initial experiment have been conductedthe majority of which have proven wholly fruitless, showing that the results garnered from the initial experiment may have been within the margin of pure coincidence. Other critics suggest that the experiment is flawed and inherently limited, in that it only examines the physiological response to physical stimulus, and neglects to examine the actual mental processes undergone to form an emotion aside from cognitive labeling.

41 The connection of this theory to the theory of knowledge is to be identified in its connection of intuition & emotion to perception. The theory identifies the intertwinement of one s perception of their surroundings, and the formation of emotion.

42 The connection of this theory to the theory of knowledge is to be identified in its connection of intuition & emotion to perception. The theory identifies the intertwinement of one s perception of their surroundings, and the formation of emotion. Additionally, the experiment exhibits the flaw in emotion, and calls into question the validity of one s most immediate, unexamined emotion.

Cognitive, Social, and Physiological Determinants of Emotional State. Schachter, S. & Singer, J.E. (1962).

Cognitive, Social, and Physiological Determinants of Emotional State. Schachter, S. & Singer, J.E. (1962). Bell Ringer How do we recognize the emotions we feel? If we see a bull running towards us, do